Thursday, 23 August 2012

Graham's Golden Lager / Skol 1933 - 1994

I never dreamt when I first got interested in beer seriously in the 1970's that one day I'd be writing about Skol. Stuff I wouldn't have baited a slug trap with.

The beer had a far more interesting history than I could have imagined. And one that winds in and out of a few obsessions of mine.

Where does the story begin? At the end of the 19th century in Burton, of all places. Allsopp, deciding that Lager was going to be the next big thing, bought a state of the art Lager brewery from the USA. It opened in 1899, just as Allsopp was starting to get into serious financial difficulties. They did have a degree of success with their Lager, especially in export markets, but their Pale Ale trade collapsed. Between 1900 and 1910 Allsopp's sales fell by 40%. By 1911 a receiver had been appointed to run the business.

In 1912, John Calder of Calder's Brewery in Alloa was brought in to run Allsopp. This forged a link between Allsopp and Alloa that was to play a key role in the later formation of Allied Breweries. It also brought Lager brewing to Alloa, for in 1921 Allsopp's Lager plant, which had lain idle in Burton, was moved to Arrol's Brewery, where John Calder was also a director. In 1927 a new beer was brewed in Arrol's Lager brewery - Graham's Golden Lager.

It was a big success. As Arrol's were brewing all their Lagers, it's no surprise that Allsopp's took a controlling interest in the company in 1930, even before their 1934 merger with Ind Coope. Arrol's was completely bought out in 1951 and the brewery converted to a Lager-only plant.

In 1959, Graham's Golden Lager was rebranded ads Skol, though for a while it had the ungainly name of Graham's Skol Lager. It became the main Lager of Ind Coope and later the whole Allied Breweries group. Allied Breweries set up an international consortium in 1964 to brew Skol abroad and soon it was being made in more than a dozen countries. And, though British Skol went to the great cellar in the sky, it's still brewed in several countries.

That's got the history out of the way. Now we can get onto the beer itself. Luckily, I've quite a few analyses from across the years.

Graham's Golden Lager / Skol 1933 - 1994

Year

Brewer

Beer

Price

size

package

Acidity

FG

OG

colour

ABV

App.
Atten-uation

1933

Alloa Brewery

Graham's Golden Lager

pint

bottled

1010.5

1044.5

4.42

76.40%

1939

Alloa Brewery

Graham's Golden Lager

bottled

0.04

1008.6

1045.2

8.5

4.77

80.97%

1950

Alloa Brewery

Graham's Golden Lager

15d

half

bottled

0.05

1010.6

1040.6

9

3.89

73.89%

1952

Alloa Brewery

Graham's Golden Lager

15d

half

bottled

0.04

1014.3

1039.2

15

3.22

63.52%

1957

Alloa Brewery

Graham's Pilsener Lager

20d

half

bottled

0.04

1007.2

1035.6

9

3.69

79.78%

1957

Alloa Brewery

Graham's Golden Lager

half

bottled

0.04

1007.3

1030.4

11

3.00

75.99%

1960

Alloa Brewery

Skol Pilsner Lager

18d

half

bottled

0.04

1007

1033.4

8

3.30

79.04%

1961

Ind Coope

Grahams Skol

20d

half

bottled

0.03

1007.2

1033.6

9.5

3.30

78.57%

1961

Ind Coope

Grahams Skol

20d

half

bottled

0.03

1007.2

1033.6

9.5

3.43

78.57%

1962

Ind Coope

Skol Export

24d

half

bottled

0.04

1008.3

1035.4

8

3.52

76.55%

1962

Ind Coope

Skol Pilsener

19d

half

bottled

0.04

1006.4

1033.9

7

3.57

81.12%

1963

Ind Coope

Skol Pilsener

21d

half

bottled

0.04

1006.5

1033.6

8.5

3.52

80.65%

1972

Allied Breweries

Skol

15p

pint

draught

1007

1033.2

3.40

78.92%

1994

Ind Coope (Burton)

Skol Lager

pint

bottled

3.60

Sources:

Thomas Usher Gravity Book document TU/6/11

Whitbread
Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number
LMA/4453/D/02/001

Whitbread
Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number
LMA/4453/D/02/002

Daily Mirror July 10th 1972, page 15

The Best of British Bottled Beer

The first thing that strikes me is the gravity. Up until 1952, the gravity is above the average for all beer brewed in the UK. Soon after the complete takeover of Arrols by Ind Coope (coincidence?), the gravity drops below the average and remains around 11% below it.

Skol OG
and average OG

year

Skol OG

average
OG

difference

1933

1044.5

1039.52

11.19%

1939

1045.2

1040.93

9.45%

1950

1040.6

1033.88

16.55%

1952

1039.2

1037.07

5.43%

1957

1035.6

1037.42

-5.11%

1957

1030.4

1037.42

-23.09%

1960

1033.4

1037.25

-11.53%

1961

1033.6

1037.41

-11.34%

1961

1033.6

1037.70

-12.20%

1962

1035.4

1037.70

-6.50%

1962

1033.9

1037.70

-11.21%

1963

1033.6

1037.70

-12.20%

1972

1033.2

1036.90

-11.14%

Sources:

Brewers'
Almanack 1955, p. 50

Brewers'
Almanack 1962, p. 48

Brewers'
Almanack 1971, p. 45

Statistical
Handbook of the British Beer & Pub Association 2005, p. 7

To give some idea of just how bad value for money Skol was, in 1962 a half pint bottle of Double Diamond cost 15d, 4d less that Skol though its gravity was 13 points higher at 1047º. remeber that Double Diamond was a heavily-promoted, premium product. A pint of Ind Coope Mild Ale, with a gravity almost exactly the same as Skol, cost just 14d that year. Or less than half the price for the same amount of alcohol. It makes you realise why large breweries pushed Lager and neglected Mild.

Which has prompted me to think of another reason beer styles decline and die. When a style becomes the most popular, it's very difficult to keep selling it as a premium price. It's new types of beer, fashionable ones, that can demand a higher price. So there's a clear financial incentive for brewers to push the new at the expense of the old.

Ron, I had found some Limited Edition strong Lager Skol QEII 1977 in the basement vaults at the Allsopp's brewery in Burton. Next time were together, let's try it. Wondering if you had any gravities on that brewing? Strong Lager probably in the 8% abv range I am guessing.

You can see the same phenomenon happening again today, with keg versions of some beers selling for substantially more than the cask version. Can't say I blame the brewers. If I were them I'd also want to be in the segment of the market selling beer for £4.50 a pint rather than the one selling it for £3 a pint.

Bryan,Thank you very much!!!a few days looking for the origin of Skol International Ltd., and it was a labyrinth. Now I can finally know that the origin was a lager produced by Arrol's brewery branded as Graham's Golden Lager and rebranded ads Skol. After that, everything is clear, the union of breweries in Allied Breweries, etc...

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